If you ever have had the opportunity to read Brian Keene’s Take The Long Way Home, you know that at the end of the novella, Keene reaches out to his readers about why he wrote the book, his beliefs on religion and how he grew up in a Christian household. Keene has written many novels and stories about the end of the world in, The Rising; Dead Sea; The Conquer Worm (Earthworm Gods); City of the Dead and has mentioned other signs and warnings about the end of the world in many of his other books. His newest apocalyptic vision; Darkness on the Edge of Town, is another classic Keene story that is sure to leave you as scared and hopeless as the characters.
The story is told through the eyes of Robbie and revolves around him, his pot smoking girlfriend Christy and their upstairs neighbor Russ. One morning, the residents of their small Virginian town wake up to find no sun, and the entire town shored in darkness. The local fire chief tries to keep order, by sending some of his men into the darkness to find help in the next town. However, the trio decide to go to the edge of the darkness where they find a strange symbol in the road which seems to be where the darkness has stopped. After witnessing some gruesome things in the darkness, and hearing the screams of the firemen who have ventured into the darkness, Robbie and his friends decide to go back to their apartment building to figure it all out. They find that the town is in chaos, people are going mad, killing one another and having random fits of rage which seem to be caused by the darkness. With the help of the local crazy homeless man, Robbie tries to find the truth of why the darkness is here, and whether they will be able to stop it.
When it comes to apocalyptic tales, Keene is a master at coming up with ideas that put his characters in the worst possible scenarios. While the characters in this book are protected somewhat from the evil on the darkness, it’s the town folks that the characters need be worried about. The book is more a tale of survival from your neighbors than it is from the evil lurking outside of town. That evil is in control, but when all is hopeless as humans it will always turn into a game of survival, even if that means harming one another. Keene balances both very well in this book. There is that human survival element, but it crosses over into that element of possession where the evil takes control for a short time over individuals in the book. Keene also balances out the story and character development very well in this one. There are unique characters throughout the whole book with whose stories the reader really can sympathize, yet the overall situation of the story is not forgotten in its characters. We know that there is something out of the world occurring and that it is not right, and just when it appears that something good is going to bring hope to the characters, Keene hits hard with something horrific.
Once again, Brian Keene repeatedly has proven that he is one of horror’s top talents. However, I cannot go on record as saying that this is the best book he has written. It is one of many, but he usually fools me in the end by throwing in some out-of-this-world plot twist. This time, I knew how it was going to end; I predicted it right from the beginning. In effect, I have to credit Keene and many other writers who tend to dwell in tales of the end of the world. If the world ever were to end, in whatever scenario, reading all these novels would be a good education. The book’s conclusion is what I would have done.
If you liked Stephen King’s The Mist, or The Dome, this novel is very similar with some different details. I for one loved the book, although it is not may favorite of Keene’s novels. I have read a lot of reviews of this book on Facebook, and many regular fans of Keene’s work seem to think this is his best book since Terminal. I politely disagree, but still really enjoyed the book. Keene is one of the best horror writers around, and I have yet to come across a piece of his work that I did not enjoy.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
